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Hancock
Hancock
Starring: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron
Directed by: Peter Berg
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Comedy
2008
Times Seen:
Tim: 2
Summary: An alcoholic, lazy, self-centered superhero, Hancock (Will Smith) is hated by the public because of the destruction he causes whenever he tries to do some good. He befriends a public relations expert (Jason Bateman) and his wife (Charlize Theron), who decides he can help repair his image.
Review:
Tim: Will Smith is nearly untouchable as an actor. Whatever he does, it always seems to work (overlooking Wild Wild West). With Hancock, his shine nearly rubs off, but this movie does just enough right to be considered effective. However, this movie is on the lower end of Smith's excellent resume.
Hancock is a superhero movie without a superhero. I love the idea of an alcoholic superhero (although Marvel's Iron Man did it first), but even more so, I love the idea of a superhero movie about a guy who is a complete jerk and doesn't seem to care. This opens up new possibilities for the superhero genre, some of which are explored here. I appreciate the dfferent change of pace in this movie- although not wholly original, still relatively new to superhero movies. I also like the film's big reveal about the history of Hancock, which is at least unique spin on these movies. It might be a little silly, but I thought this movie pulled it off.
Probably not surprisingly, this movie depends almost completely on the performance of Will Smith. Smith is certainly one of the most charismatic actors in Hollywood, and he is in top form here. He is so enjoyable to watch as Hancock. Smith has such a squeaky clean image, it was nice to see him embracing his darker side. I am a big fan of anti-heroes, and Hancock certainly counts. Smith makes this movie work, and his performance effectively covers up some of the film's flaws.
The rest of the cast is decent, but not as good as Smith. I've said it dozens of times before, but I just don't care for Jason Bateman. He wasn't so bad here because he mostly played it straight, but I didn't love him in this film. Charlize Theron was fairly effective, but this wasn't her best performance. She certainly adds more to the film than Bateman, but this movie rests almost completely on the shoulders of Smith.
The story is pretty decent. I like the rehabilitaton of Hancock as the focus of the film, but this still presents some problems. First, the film really doesn't have as big of a climax as you would hope. Yes, there are a few tense and suspenseful moments, but there is never that "Wow" moment, which this film needed. I also was surprised by the special effects- they didn't seem as realistic as I would have hoped. There were certainly a few good moments, but too often, Hancock flying or the damage he causes just looked fake. This was a major flaw in the film.
Hancock is not one of Will Smith's best films, but it does enough right to at least be considered an effective movie. This is not one of my favorite superhero movies, but I did appreciate how different this movie was. I'd consider it a good movie, but just barely.
Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7
If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Wild Wild West, Men in Black, Independence Day, I Am Legend